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Yes, but only under rare circumstances. A discharge or cancellation releases you from all obligations to repay the loan.
Your loan (Stafford and PLUS) cannot be discharged or canceled because you didn’t:
- complete the program of study at the school (unless you could not complete the program because the school closed),
- like the school or program of study, or
- obtain employment after completing the program of study.
Discharge refers to the cancellation of a loan, even one in default,* due to school closure, false certification, your death or total and permanent disability.
Cancellation or sometimes "forgiveness" of a loan is based on the borrower performing certain types of service such as teaching in a low-income school. A defaulted* loan cannot be canceled based on qualifying service (e.g. teaching).
For a complete list of discharge and cancellation provisions for Perkins Loans and Stafford Loans, check the following two charts: Perkins Loan Discharge and Cancellation Summary and Stafford and PLUS Loan Discharge and Cancellation Summary below.
Under this program, the remaining outstanding balance of principal and accrued interest on an eligible Direct Loan will be forgiven for a borrower who is not in default and who makes 120 monthly payments on the loan, under certain repayment plans, after Oct. 1, 2007 (the first cancellations of loan balances will not be granted until Oct. 1, 2017 at the earliest), while employed in certain public service fields. You must be employed full-time in a qualifying public service field during the same period in which the 120 payments are made and at the time that the cancellation is granted.
For this loan forgiveness program, eligible Direct Loans include Federal Direct Stafford Loans, Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans, Federal Direct PLUS Loans (for parents or graduate and professional students), and Federal Direct Consolidation Loans.
Although loan cancellation is only available for loans made and repaid under the Direct Loan Program, borrowers with loans made under other federal student loan programs may be eligible if you consolidate those loans into the Direct Loan Program. However, only payments made on the Direct Consolidation Loan will count toward the required 120 monthly payments.
NOTE: You may have to meet additional eligibility requirements to consolidate these loans into a Direct Consolidation Loan. If you are unsure about what kind of loans you have consult the National Student Loan Data System at www.nslds.ed.gov.
Eligible public service jobs are full-time jobs in the following fields:
- Emergency management
- Government
- Military service
- Public safety
- Law enforcement
- Public health
- Public education (including early childhood education)
- Social work in a public child or family service agency
- Public child care
- Public service for individuals with disabilities
- Public interest law services (including prosecution or public defense or legal advocacy in low income communities at a nonprofit organization)
- Public service for the elderly
- Public library sciences
- School-based library sciences and other school-based services
- Certain tax-exempt organizations
- Faculty teaching in high-needs areas, as determined by the Secretary
- Full-time faculty member at a Tribal College or University
NOTE: A borrower who pays only, or primarily, under a 10-year standard repayment plan or under another repayment plan in amounts consistent with a 10-year standard repayment is unlikely to have a remaining balance for loan forgiveness after making 120 payments on the loan.
To be eligible to have remaining balances canceled, you must not be in default on the eligible loans and must have made 120 monthly payments on the eligible loan(s) beginning after Oct. 1, 2007. Earlier payments do not count toward meeting this requirement. Payments must have been made under any one or a combination of the following Direct Loan Program repayment plans.
- Standard Repayment Plan with a 10-year repayment period.
- Income Contingent Repayment (ICR) Plan—not available to parent Direct PLUS loan borrowers.
- Income Based Repayment (IBR) Plan—not available to parent Direct PLUS loan borrowers.
- Other Direct Loan repayment plans, but only payments that are at least equal to the amount that would be required under the 10-year Standard Repayment Plan may be counted toward the required 120 payments.
NOTE: In the case of a parent PLUS loan, the qualifying public service employee is the parent, not the student on whose behalf the loan was received.
After reviewing the conditions, if you think you qualify, you must apply to the holder of your loan.
- Federal Perkins Loans—Check with the school that made you the loan or with the school’s loan servicing agent.
- Direct Stafford Loans—Contact the Direct Loan Servicing Center at 1-800-848-0979. TTY users can call 1-800-848-0983. Or, go to www.dl.ed.gov.
- FFEL Stafford Loans—Contact your lender or its loan servicing agent.
The information in this guide was compiled in the summer of 2008. For changes to the federal student aid programs since then, visit www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov and click on "Students, Parents and Counselors."
Perkins loan discharge and cancellation Summary chart
| Cancellation Conditionsa
| Amount Forgiven
|
| Bankruptcy (in rare cases—cancellation is possible only if the bankruptcy court rules that repayment would cause undue hardship) |
100 percent |
| Closed school (before student could complete program of study)—applies to loans received on or after Jan. 1, 1986 |
100 percent |
| Borrower’s total and permanent disability b or death |
100 percent |
| Full-time teacher in a designated elementary or secondary school serving students from low-income familiesc |
Up to 100 percent |
| Full-time special education teacher (includes teaching children with disabilities in a public or other nonprofit elementary or secondary school)c |
Up to 100 percent |
| Full-time qualified professional provider of early intervention services for the disabled |
Up to 100 percent |
| Full-time teacher of math, science, foreign languages, bilingual education, or other fields designated as teacher shortage areas |
Up to 100 percent |
| Full-time employee of a public or nonprofit child- or family-services agency providing services to high-risk children and their families from low-income communities |
Up to 100 percent |
| Full-time nurse or medical technician |
Up to 100 percent |
| Full-time law enforcement or corrections officer |
Up to 100 percent |
| Full-time staff member in the education component of a Head Start Program |
Up to 100 percent |
| Vista or Peace Corps volunteer |
Up to 70 percent |
| Service in the U.S. Armed Forces |
Up to 50 percent in areas of
hostilities or imminent danger |
a As of Oct. 7, 1998, all Perkins Loan borrowers are eligible for all cancellation benefits regardless of when the loan was made or the terms of the borrower’s promissory note.* However, this benefit is not retroactive to services performed before Oct. 7, 1998.
b Total and permanent disability is defined as the inability to work and earn money because of an illness or injury that is expected to continue indefinitely or to result in death. If you are determined to be totally and permanently disabled based on a physician’s certification, your loan will be conditionally discharged for up to three years. This conditional discharge period begins on the date your physician certifies your loan discharge application. During this conditional discharge period, you do not have to make payments on your loan(s). To qualify for a final discharge due to total and permanent disability, you must meet the following requirements during the conditional discharge period: (1) your earnings from employment must not exceed the poverty line amount for a family of two; and (2) you must not receive any additional loans under the FFEL, Direct Loan or Perkins Loan programs. If you do not continue to meet these requirements at any time during or at the end of the conditional discharge period, your loan(s) will be taken out of conditional discharge status and you must resume making payments on your loans. You cannot qualify for loan discharge based on a condition that existed before the loan was made, unless a doctor certifies that your condition substantially deteriorated after you obtained the loan. For more information on qualifying for this discharge, review your promissory note* and Borrower’s Rights and Responsibilities Statement or contact your loan holder.
c Detailed information on teaching service cancellation/deferment options can be found at www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov. At the site, click on "Students, Parents and Counselors."
Stafford and Plus loan discharge and cancellation Summary chart
| Discharge/Forgiveness Condition
| Amount Discharged/Forgiven
| Notes
|
| Borrower’s total and permanent disability or death.† |
100 percent |
For a PLUS Loan, includes the death, but not disability, of the student for whom the parents borrowed. |
| Full-time teacher for five consecutive years in a designated elementary or secondary school serving students from low-income families. Must meet additional eligibility requirements. |
Up to $5,000 (up to $17,500 for teachers in certain specialties) of the total loan amount outstanding after completion of the fifth year of teaching.
Under the Direct and FFEL Consolidation Loan programs, only the portion of the consolidation loan used to repay eligible Direct Loans or FFEL Loans qualifies for loan forgiveness. |
For Direct and FFEL Stafford Loan borrowers with no outstanding balance on a Direct or FFEL Loan on Oct. 1, 1988, or on the date they received a loan on, or after that date. PLUS Loans are not eligible. At least one of the five consecutive years of teaching must occur after the 1997–98 academic year.*
To find out whether your school is considered a low-income school, go to www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov. Click on "Students, Parents and Counselors." Or call 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243). |
| Bankruptcy (in rare cases) |
100 percent |
Cancellation is possible only if the bankruptcy court rules that repayment would cause undue hardship. |
| Closed school (before student could complete program of study) or false loan certification. |
100 percent |
For loans received on or after January 1, 1986. |
| False loan certification now includes identity theft. |
100 percent |
Effective July 1, 2006. |
| School does not make required return of loan funds to the lender. |
Up to the amount that the school was required to return. |
For loans received on or after January 1, 1986. |
† Total and permanent disability is defined as the inability to work and earn money because of an illness or injury that is expected to continue indefinitely or to result in death. If you are determined to be totally and permanently disabled based on a physician’s certification, your loan will be conditionally discharged for up to three years. This conditional discharge period begins on the date your physician certifies your loan discharge application. During this conditional discharge period, you do not have to make payments on your loan(s). To qualify for a final discharge due to total and permanent disability, you must meet the following requirements during the conditional discharge period: (1) your earnings from employment must not exceed the poverty line amount for a family of two; and (2) you must not receive any additional loans under the FFEL, Direct Loan or Perkins Loan programs. If you do not continue to meet these requirements at any time during or at the end of the conditional discharge period, your loan(s) will be taken out of conditional discharge status and you must resume making payments on your loans. You cannot qualify for loan discharge based on a condition that existed before the loan was made, unless a doctor certifies that your condition substantially deteriorated after you obtained the loan. For more information on qualifying for this discharge, review your promissory note* and Borrower’s Rights and Responsibilities Statement or contact your loan holder.
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